THE ELECTRONIC BULLETIN OF THE SWISS PLATFORM FOR HIV/AIDS AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION April 2007

Not too long ago I received the following short e-mail: „As we are going to host an event on the issue this week – with regard to South Asia, I wanted to open the link ASIA: FACING THE HIV/AIDS CHALLENGE. Unfortunately, it did not work.“ Actually, I was quite glad to receive such a reaction, because it showed that the electronic Newsletter aidsfocus.news finds its readers and is widely used.

The readers give feedback only very rarely. Time and again I try to select relevant communications and documents from the daily flood of information and I try to picture the possible addressees and users: Aid agency and development organisation staff in different functions and working in various fields who seek to find information on the most important developments and discussions as to HIV and Aids and international cooperation – but do not have much time to search around. When I make my choice I attach special attention to the activities of Swiss organisations in view of the fact that the website and aidsfocus.news intend to serve as a platform for a mutual exchange of information and experiences.

Equally, the aidsfocus.ch conference on April 26, 2007 on the theme of „Positive Motherhood“ is an ideal place for exchanging information and experiences as well as for networking among professionals. There are still a few places available. Please register now! http://www.aidsfocus.ch

Helena Zweifel Coordinator aidsfocus.ch

INTERNATIONAL NEWS - TREATMENT FIGURES REACH 2 MILLION - SECURING THE FUTURE – ADVOCATING FOR CHILDREN - AFRICA: AIDS GROUPS LOBBY HEALTH SUMMIT - ABBOTT TO REDUCE COST OF KALETRA IN THAILAND, OTHER DEVELOPING COUNTRIES - SOUTH AFRICA: CELEBRATING LIFE - MEMORY WORK IN THE ERA OF ARVS - INDIAN RED CROSS FIGHTS HIV/AIDS DISCRIMINATION - INDIA: ANOTHER DEATH OF PREGNANT WOMAN WITH HIV IS ALARMING - INFANT FEEDING GUIDELINES SHOULD PROMOTE EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING - HISTORIC HIV/AIDS INITIATIVE “LIVE UP” LAUNCHED ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN - E-DISCUSSION: IS THE ABC APPROACH ENOUGH TO HELP PREVENT HIV?

NEW DOCUMENTS AND RESSOURCES - UNAIDS POLICY BRIEF: GIPA - SCHOOL-BASED REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND HIV EDUCATION PROGRAMS - FAMILY LIFE EDUCATION: TEACHING YOUTH ABOUT REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND HIV - SEXUAL RIGHTS: CRITICAL TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH - MATERNAL, WOMEN’S AND CHILD HEALTH: THE UNFINISHED AGENDA - VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND HIV/AIDS: CRITICAL INTERSECTIONS - CHILD-HEADED HOUSEHOLDS & HUMAN RIGHTS: A CAPACITY-BUILDING GUIDE - THE CONTINUUM OF CARE FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS IN CAMBODIA - EXPLORING THE PROBLEMS, STRATEGIES AND TOOLS ASSOCIATED WITH HIV TESTING AND COUNSELLING FOR CHILDREN AND INFANTS

EVENTS 26.04.2007 | AIDSFOCUS.CH CONFERENCE: POSITIVE MOTHERHOOD 06.06.2007 | SDC: MAINSTREAMING HIV/AIDS IN PRACTICE 27.08.2007 | AIDSFOCUS.CH: PEER REVIEW GROUP MAINSTREAMING HIV/AIDS

Terre des Hommes Foundation shared their experiences in mainstreaming HIV. In 2000, the decision was taken to stop HIV specific interventions and start in 2001 with mainstreaming of HIV/AIDS. In the Discussion, it was emphasised that mainstreaming should be presented not as just another task but as a quality issue of good project management. The focus of the coaching should be on the process. It was also recommended capitalising the successful approaches and lessons learned so that others in the organisation can learn.

http://www.aidsfocus.ch

April 2007 - Fondation PH Suisse - Partnerships in Health, a member of the Network Medicus Mundi Switzerland, seeks to appoint a Programme Manager to lead a multi-disciplinary team in five countries to implement Partnerships in Health’s HIV and AIDS Prevention, Treatment, care and support Programme (Phase II). Location: Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina with extensive regional travel within the five participating countries in the region.

http://www.aidsfocus.ch

1. April 2007 - WHO, UNAIDS and UNICEF have launched a new report on scaling up priority AIDS interventions in the health sector. The report highlights that by the end of 2006 more than 2 million people in low- and middle-income countries had access to antiretroviral therapy. The report highlights a number of key areas in which efforts to scale-up services are insufficient including; the provision of antiretroviral treatment to prevent mother to child transmission of HIV (only 11% of HIV-positive pregnant women in need of treatment were receiving it in 2006); and the need to scale-up testing and counselling services for people living with HIV (the report highlights that only 12% of men and 10% of women in sub-Saharan Africa know their HIV status).

http://www.unaids.org
http://www.who.int

1. April 2007 - Children still remain largely the missing face from national and international political responses to AIDS. The UNAIDS Secretariat and cosponsor UNICEF recently joined a group of advocates and activists from around the world to define a platform for joint advocacy towards the goal of achieving the first-ever “AIDS-Free Generation”. Bringing together perspectives from around the world—and from the grassroots to the global arena—the group shared a deep concern that the lives, rights, and potential of millions of the world’s children are being severely eroded by the devastating impact of HIV.

http://www.unaids.org

Johannesburg, 10 April 2007 - As a week-long meeting of health ministers organised by the African Union (AU) got underway in Johannesburg on Monday, AIDS activists expressed concern that commitments on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, reached at several meetings last year, were missing from the agenda. According to a coalition of 53 AIDS organisations and civil society groups, the draft plan fails to include a number of targets relating to the goal of universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention and care agreed to by African governments at an AU summit on AIDS, TB and malaria in Abuja, Nigeria, in May 2006.(PlusNews)

http://www.plusnews.org

1. April 2007 - Abbott Laboratories on Tuesday said that it plans to reduce the cost of its antiretroviral drug Kaletra in Thailand and more than 40 low- and low-middle-income countries by more than half. The company said it will provide Kaletra in the countries for $1,000 per patient annually, which is less than the cost of generic versions of the drug. The World Health Organization welcomed the decision. "We are seeing many more patients develop resistance to first-line antiretroviral drugs who will require second-line drugs", WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said. (Kaisernetwork)

http://www.kaisernetwork.org

Cape Town, 4 April 2007 - Memory books or boxes provide a way for HIV-positive people to create a personal legacy to leave behind for their family members. According to Jonathan Morgan, as antiretrovirals become more widely available, forms of memory work would need to evolve "to assist people living with HIV and AIDS to live positively, to hold on to life". "Memory work has definitely changed. Now people can keep these boxes, and look at where they come from and where they are going, in terms of their illness," David Stephens, health and care coordinator for the South African Red Cross Society remarked. In the support group, run by the Khayelitsha branch of the national Red Cross society, memory work has shifted, and has become more of a coping mechanism. “Body mapping" and "hero books" were now being used more often. (PlusNews)

http://www.plusnews.org

New Delhi, 2 April 2007 - Some 5.2 million people in India are living with HIV but many are left isolated and untreated because of stigma and misconceptions about the disease. The Indian Red Cross is therefore working to ensure that people living with HIV have access to information, care and medical support. An Indian Red Cross project at Thambaram Hospital provides food and hygiene items to people living with HIV, as well as counselling to them and their families. Equally important is the massive advocacy initiative addressing stigma and discrimination.

http://www.ifrc.org

“If it is not shocking that alarming levels of HIV associated stigma and discrimination runs high in Madhya Pradesh (MP) but also disappointing that despite of repeated alerts sounded on rising maternal mortality in the State, nothing much has improved”. A 30-years old pregnant woman who was living with HIV died outside the hospital building in Indore (Madhya Pradesh state (MP), India) after the government healthcare staff denied to provide adequate medical care and hospital admission.

http://www.healthdev.org

1. March 2007 - Further evidence to support a recommendation for exclusive breastfeeding by HIV-positive mothers in resource-limited settings was published today by South African researchers in The Lancet. They say it is time to revise UNICEF and World Health Organization guidelines on infant feeding in order to promote exclusive breastfeeding more aggressively.

Although exclusive breastfeeding is already recommended by UNICEF and WHO where formula feeding is not available, feasible, affordable, safe and sustainable, the new findings from the Africa Centre for Health and Population Studies define much more clearly the risk of mother to child transmission through breastfeeding during the first months of life, and also demonstrate the differences in transmission risk between women with advanced HIV disease and those with relatively intact immune systems.

http://www.aidsmap.com

1. March 2007 - As HIV/AIDS rates continue to skyrocket across the region, a pioneering multi-year, Caribbean-wide initiative was recently launched in conjunction with the International Cricket Council’s 2007 World Cup. The Caribbean has the highest HIV/AIDS rate in the western hemisphere, and is second only to sub-Saharan Africa in terms of the impact of the disease, according to the Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership (CBMP). “AIDS is the leading cause of death among adults in the Caribbean, and 250,000 of the region’s residents are living with AIDS,” according to information provided by CBMP. “Half of those are women and a third are young people between the ages of 15 and 24.”

http://www.stjohntradewindsnews.com

“We know that the current "ABC" approach (Abstaining from sex, Being faithful to one partner and using Condoms) is not enough to protect many women. Abstinence is not a realistic option for many adults, particularly those who are married or in long-term relationships. A woman may not be able to convince her partner to use condoms-or she and her partner may want to have children, which they cannot do while abstaining or using condoms. And remaining faithful to her husband cannot protect a woman whose husband is not monogamous." Please share your views with the community about HIV programmes in your part of the world and join the electronic discussion.

http://topics.developmentgateway.org

Supporting the active engagement of people living with HIV in the AIDS response is one of UNAIDS’ most important goals. Building on its work in this area, UNAIDS has developed a policy brief with recommendations for governments, civil society and international donors on how to increase and improve the involvement of people living with HIV in global, regional and country AIDS responses. GIPA or the ‘Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV/AIDS’ is a principle that aims to realize the rights and responsibilities of people living with HIV, including their right to participation in decision-making processes that affect their lives. (March 2007)

http://www.unaids.org
http://data.unaids.org

YouthLens No. 20. Recent research has confirmed and expanded earlier findings concerning the positive impacts of reproductive health (RH) and HIV education programs. More guidance regarding developing and adapting curricula for diverse settings has also emerged based on sharing of field implementation experiences. Even so, implementing this guidance at the country level remains challenging, given inadequate teacher training, varying availability of funds, and cultural sensitivities about discussing sexuality.

http://www.fhi.org

This manual from Family Health International (FHI) is intended to encourage open discussion about sexuality, reproductive health, and HIV/AIDS within a faith-based environment. It provides a forum for youth to clarify Christian values about reproductive health and HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment, while providing accurate technical information on these topics. The manual is intended for use by any church or organization wanting to build the knowledge, attitudes, and skills of young people related to reproductive health and HIV/AIDS.

http://www.aidsportal.org

Integrating sexual rights into family planning and reproductive health programs is essential to ensuring that people have safe and healthy sexual lives, according to a new report issued by the World Health Organization. The report, Defining Sexual Health: Report of a Technical Consultation on Sexual Health, states that reproductive health programs “must be accessible, affordable, confidential, of high quality, and age- and culture-appropriate.”

http://www.populationaction.org

This edition of the South African Health Review focuses on maternal, women's and child health and seeks to reflect on achievements made, challenges and gaps that impact on transformation and strengthening of the South African health system. The paper also finds that child mortality has increased, fuelled largely by HIV, which is reversing gains made in child survival over the last decade. The report concludes that maternal, women’s and child health are indivisible, and highlights the need for multi-sectoral, collaborative initiatives which take a broader view of the determinants of health outcomes such as water, nutrition and education.(2007)

http://www.eldis.org

The WHO Information Bulletin Series, Number 3, is presenting evidence on how violence against women and girls, in its different forms, increases their risk of HIV infection and undermines AIDS control efforts. It focuses on the links between violence against sex workers and HIV prevention efforts. The information aims to spur action at different levels — individual, community and policy — to address violence against sex workers and their needs for HIV prevention, and AIDS treatment and care from a health and human rights perspective.

http://www.who.int

The aim of this guide is to provide information and ideas to help build stronger and more sustainable civil society organisations and community-based organisations, in order to tackle the issues related to child-headed households and violence. The objectives are to strengthen the protection and care of vulnerable children through human rights education, to enable users of this book to develop an understanding and respect for vulnerable children's rights and responsibilities as citizens, and to enable CSOs and CBOs to challenge and develop action plans and to develop policies to advocate change locally. (Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR), 2006)

http://www.csvr.org.za

Linkages and Strengthening in the Public Health System - Case Study. HIV/AIDS is a multifactorial disease requiring life-long treatment. In 2003, Cambodia released its plan to meet this need - the comprehensive Continuum of Care (CoC) - which is an integrated provision of treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA). This case study provides a snapshot of the CoC as it is in the middle of this rapid expansion. It is also an investigation of possible health system strengthening effects achieved by the CoC.(WHO 2006)

http://topics.developmentgateway.org

This paper, by Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies, reviews national HIV testing and counselling (HTC) policies and technical guidelines aimed at children in countries with a high prevalence of HIV. The paper finds that only 35 per cent of national policies offer details specific to HTC and children. Further, more specific guidance is required on children in many issues including: informed consent, child counselling, discrimination/stigma/child’s rights, diagnosis issues, access and confidentiality.(2006)

http://www.eldis.org

Bern | aidsfocus.ch conference 2007: What are the challenges and opportunities of voluntary counselling and testing in antenatal care and of prevention of vertical HIV transmission? What are the criteria for breastfeeding by positive mothers and/or supplying infant formula? What is the impact of socio-cultural significance of motherhood on HIV prevention and care? These are some of the issues which will be explored at the conference, looking at them from a socio-cultural as well as a medical perspective, reflecting on theory and practice. Program and registration:

http://www.aidsfocus.ch

Ausserholligen | The course offered by SDC aims to provide information on and skills in mainstreaming HIV/AIDS. It aims to strengthen participants’ motivation and competence to mainstream HIV/AIDS as relevant for their work. At the end of the day, participants should now what is understood by the comprehensive approach and be able to apply the concept of risk/vulnerability reduction and impact mitigation. Course language: English

http://www.deza.ch

Bern | Sharing of experiences and learning from each other is an effective way in the process to mainstream HIV into one’s own organisation. The Swiss Red Cross is inviting partners of aidsfocus.ch to the next meeting. The focus will be on sharing of experiences and information on monitoring and evaluation of mainstreaming HIV and AIDS.

http://www.aidsfocus.ch

aidsfocus.ch is a project set up by Medicus Mundi Switzerland. aidsfocus.ch is sponsored and shaped by 30 partner organizations who support the aims and activities of the platform through their financial contributions, expertise and commitment.

Partners: AIDS & Child, Bethlehem Mission Immensee, Caritas Switzerland, cinfo, CO-OPERAID, Déclaration de Berne, Doctors without Borders, FEPA, Fédération Genevoise de Coopération, Gemeinschaft St. Anna-Schwestern, HEKS, IAMANEH Switzerland, International Federation of the Blue Cross, INTERTEAM, Kindernothilfe Schweiz, medico international Switzerland, mediCuba-Suisse, missio, REPSSI, SolidarMed, Swiss Aids Care International, Swiss Aids Federation, missio, mission 21, Swiss Aids Care International, Swiss Catholic Lenten Fund, Swiss MIVA, Swiss Red Cross, Swiss Tropical Institute, Tear Fund, Terre des hommes Foundation, terre des hommes schweiz, and World Vision Switzerland.